Warning: Coyotes can appear on any street

Aug. 10, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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A coyote emerges from a drain pipe in this file photo. The Coastal Animal Services Authority has received reports from the area of Calle Puente and West Cañada about two blocks from the coast of missing cats and coyote sightings in recent weeks. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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In this 2007 photo, a coyote looks around in a cooler at a Quizno's Restaurant in Chicago, Ill. The animal walked through the propped-open front door and lay down in a cooler stocked with fruit juice and soda. Animal control officers captured the usually shy predator. SCOTT STEWART, AP

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In 2005, Susan Scott was walking her two chihuhuas in the Quail Hill area near her Irvine home when a coyote grabbed her 3-year-old dog Ginny. The coyote had Ginny in her mouth while Susan struggled to hold onto the leash. After surgery to reattach her kidney, the pet was recovering. The attack happened on this suburban sidewalk. JEBB HARRIS, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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With 4,107 acres, Griffith Park in Los Angeles has plenty of wildlife, including this coyote wandering a picnic area. The park is the largest municipal park and urban wilderness in the United States. MARK RIGHTMIRE, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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A coyote peers through the high grass in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Brecksville, Ohio. Coyotes have spread to every corner of the United States, shifting their behaviors to fit new habitats and spurring researchers to cope with a worrisome new kind of carnivore: the urban coyote. JAMIE-ANDREA YANAK, AP

A coyote emerges from a drain pipe in this file photo. The Coastal Animal Services Authority has received reports from the area of Calle Puente and West Cañada about two blocks from the coast of missing cats and coyote sightings in recent weeks. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

No matter where you live – even if it's by the beach or in a high-density apartment area – a "missing cat" flier on your street could mean that the pet was hauled away by a coyote.

That's a warning from the Coastal Animal Services Authority this week in response to reports from the San Clemente neighborhood of Calle Puente and West Cañada of missing cats and coyote sightings in recent weeks.

Kim Cholodenko, animal services' general manager, said such reports are not uncommon and should not come as a surprise in any part of town.

"We have received calls about missing cats from all areas of San Clemente," Cholodenko said via e-mail. "Some hit by cars, others attacked by local wildlife – typically coyotes. Coyotes are in all areas of the city, but more common in the outer lying areas by the hills and natural terrain."

A flier circulated by Orange County Animal Care Services says that coyotes don't need open space or wildland areas to survive and most urban coyotes are, in fact, "the offspring of generations of coyotes who lived and flourished in the urban areas of Orange County."

They have little fear of humans, are agile and can easily haul off a small pet in a matter of moments, even from an enclosed yard, the flier says. "Even a fully fenced yard will not keep out a hungry, athletic coyote," it says. "Eradication and/or relocation of the urban coyote is not effective. These programs actually provide a vacuum in nature, causing these animals to have even larger litters, ultimately increasing the coyote population."

Attacks on pets can happen at any hour – never mind that coyotes are generally more active at night, the county says. A coyote won't pass up the opportunity for an easy meal.

"All children should be taught from a very early age to avoid strange animals, whether domestic or non-domestic," the flier says. "They should never attempt to feed a wild animal. When older children are hiking or are in parks, they should be instructed on coyote safety."

Cholodenko said animal control does not deal with local wildlife unless it is sick or injured. "If it is exhibiting unusual behavior," she said, "we would then contact Fish & Game and they would locate the animal(s)."

Asked if there are any particular neighborhoods most prone to coyotes, Cholodenko said it's hard to say. She said the Coastal Animal Services Authority doesn't get many calls reporting coyote sightings, as most residents seem to be familiar with local wildlife and their behavior.

SHOO THEM AWAY?

The Humane Society has published guidelines for "hazing" coyotes, taken from a coyote mitigation program adopted by Denver, Colo., to inform residents how to hassle a coyote into leaving.

•Use a water hose, pepper spray, bear repellant, walking stick, water guns filled with vinegar water or spray bottles with vinegar water.

•Continue to haze the coyote until it leaves the area, even if it runs off and stops.

•Never run away from a coyote.

The guidelines say that coyotes are skittish by nature and normally aren't aggressive toward aggressive people, but if sick or injured, they could be unpredictable. If it looks sick or injured, don't interact with the coyote. Call authorities.

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